Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Belgium’s Captain Kaiser have been a bit quiet lately, but that’s all changed with the release of their first new single in almost two years, “Drive” and announcement of their upcoming LP Rhyme and Reason.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Can you tell us a little about Captain Kaiser and what to expect on the upcoming LP, Rhyme and Reason?
First of all, thanks for having us.
Captain Kaiser is a group of 5 friends from Antwerp. We’re practiced in celebrating life, mostly throughout our music. Our new record will sound a bit different compared with our previous ones. It’s a bit darker but we tried to keep the typical Captain Kaiser sound.
What was the process like in fleshing out that record and bringing it to life?
A few years ago our singer lost his mother. When he was looking for a way to deal with this we decided to write an album together about this matter. It wasn”t easy to put his feelings into songs. After some time and a lot of songs that won’t make it to the album, we teamed up with Jay Maas, a collaboration that turned out to be a perfect match. He came over to Europe, to join us in the Dunk! Studios.
We had a great time and are extremely satisfied with the result of those two weeks of studio time together.
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
The nice thing about our band is that everyone likes different artists and genres and that creates a good dynamic that we also want to show in our music. The idea of writing down the emotions surrounding the loss of his mother, Sascha got after a “Conversations with Nick Cave Show”. During one of this shows nick told the audience that whenever you are grieving you must find a way to deal with the loss. Whether that is talking, driving around, drawing, writing songs …. It doesn’t matter, but it should be something you feel good about.
For the sound of this album, we started digging more into the post-punk genre of bands like The Murder Capital, Do Nothing, Squid, High Vis, …
The world has been going through some shit over the last few years, and as individuals, you’ve all had your own share of trials and tribulations, I’m sure. Your latest single “Drive” definitely seems to be a more personal and emotional track than some of your previous output. What affect, if any, have those personal hardships and/or the cultural and political landscapes of the last few years had on your music?
We started as a band from the point of view that we wanted to celebrate life and we want everyone to participate. Over those years lots of things happened, mostly positive things, our guitar player got two beautiful children, we found jobs we like and found great girlfriends. But life has also kicked us in the guts.
“DRIVE” and the rest of the album is about one of those moments. But it doesn’t have to be all negative.
With this single and the album, we want to tell that even when life takes on its darkest form. There will be a reason to celebrate life with friends and family.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should know about?
As a Belgian band, we are proud of our Belgian scene. Lot’s of cool bands popped up over the last few years. To name two, Stoop Kid and The Yummy Mouths are two bands with amazing songs and great to see live. Also if you’ve never heart of The Priceduifkes and The Crackups, you should definitely check them out!
Not to put the cart before the horse, but what’s next for Captain Kaiser after the release of Rhyme and Reason?
We’re convinced we need to play this record live as much as possible and that’s what we’re planning too do. We want to spread the words of Rhyme&Reason and what happens after that? Maybe be write a new album, maybe we decide to focus on other stuff. But right now, we’re enjoying everything about this new record and we’re going to try to get the most out of it
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
